2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Duggans
A surname denoting 'from the dug', a nickname for a well.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Duggans. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duggans surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Duggans in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duggans, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.5%. The next largest groups are White (11.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duggans
The surname Duggans is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "Dubhagáin," which means "dark" or "swarthy." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone with a dark complexion or dark hair.
The Duggans surname is most commonly found in the counties of Tyrone and Donegal in Ulster, Northern Ireland. It is believed to have originated in the region around the 11th or 12th century, when the use of hereditary surnames became more widespread in Ireland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the entry for the year 1237, a person named "Dubhagán Ua Rabhartaigh" is mentioned, which is likely an early spelling variation of the surname.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Duggans family were prominent landowners and chieftains in the Barony of Omagh, County Tyrone. Some notable historical figures from this period include Teige Duggans, who was a member of the Irish Parliament in the late 16th century, and Rory Duggans, who fought against the English forces during the Irish Confederate Wars in the 1640s.
In the late 18th century, a prominent member of the Duggans family was Joseph Duggans, a Catholic priest and educator who established a prestigious school in County Tyrone. He was known for his efforts to promote education among the Irish Catholic community during a time of significant religious discrimination.
Another notable figure was James Duggans (1805-1862), an Irish politician and lawyer who served as a Member of Parliament for County Tyrone in the mid-19th century. He was a vocal advocate for Catholic rights and played a significant role in the Repeal Movement, which sought to repeal the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland.
The Duggans surname can also be found in various place names throughout Ireland, such as Duggans Bridge in County Tyrone and Duggans Hill in County Donegal. These place names likely originated from individuals or families with the surname who lived in or owned land in those areas.
While the Duggans surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration. However, its historical origins and significance remain firmly tied to the counties of Tyrone and Donegal in Ulster, where it has a rich and storied past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duggans
Among Census respondents with the surname Duggans, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.5%. The next largest groups are White (11.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Duggans bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Duggans surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.5% · 97
- White11.8% · 14
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duggans
Duggans appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,291 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,432 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,291 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Up 2,432 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Duggans surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #145,220 | #142,788 | 1.7% |
| Count | 114 | 119 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duggans bearers went from 114 to 119 (+4.4% change). The surname moved up 2,432 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #142,788.
FAQ
Duggans surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duggans?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Duggans. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Duggans?
Duggans ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Duggans. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Duggans.
Has Duggans become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duggans went from 114 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 5 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Duggans?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duggans, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.5%. The next largest groups are White (11.8%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Duggans in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duggans appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (81.5%), White (11.8%), Two or More Races (5.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Duggans (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Duggans mean?
A surname denoting 'from the dug', a nickname for a well. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Duggans (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Duggans?
See how many people are called Duggans on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.